After three warmups against community colleges, UC Santa Cruz played Cal Lutheran Saturday afternoon in their first Division III dual of the spring. The Regals won 8-1 on an entertaining day for tennis.
The Regals took all three doubles matches, with an injury forcing a UCSC withdrawal at No. 1. That led to some shuffling as UCSC used their entire roster on the day. Freshmen Angelina Powers, Sam Scarlett and Dahlia Garcia made their full college debuts at the No. 4, 5 and 6 respectively. Kayla Manz and CLU All-American candidate Liliana Peters-Semak put on a classic at No. 1. Eventually, Peters-Semak outlasted Manz 7-6 (14-12), 6-4. Vivian Lee also played a masterpiece at No. 2 against Brennan Foreman. After dropping a set 6-1, Lee rallied to win the second one by an identical 6-1 score before falling in a hard-fought tie-breaker 4-10. Savana McDowell got the Banana Slugs only win on the day, dispatching senior JoAnn Taylor at No. 3 6-1, 6-3.
"The team we played today was the most competitive team so far this season. Today I really enjoyed the competing and playing and playing smart," said McDowell. "I think everyone fought hard. I love the energy of our group and I'm looking forward to our next match."
The Banana Slugs continue their homestand next Saturday the 15th when they play American River College before facing Division II Dominican on the 22nd.
